Chicken Soup, Orange Juice, Toast and Pudding
by GrandMoffAmbrius
Summary: Nick is sick and feeling terriabe. But there are two things that can make him feel better.


Disclaimer: I do not own anything of CSI. If I did, then things would be a whole lot different. Batman is owned by DC Comics.

A/N: Thanks again to my Beta Seshat3. Here is another one-shot for your enjoyment while I keep at _California_. For those of you who don't know, Cryptozoology is the study of creatures and beasts that are believed to have existed and who may still exist, while others feel that they do not and believe them to be misidentified animals in many of these types of cases. This would include creatures like Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and the Abominable Snowman.

* * *

Chicken Soup, Orange Juice, Toast and Pudding.

Nick Stokes felt like crap. For the past week he had been stuck in bed with a terrible cold. One moment he was hot the next he was cold. He had a high fever accompanied by a constantly sore throat and a nose which had been prone to running all the time. Three days ago his nose stopped running but was now stuffed up. It felt as if he had ran an entire marathon because every muscle ached and it hurt to move even an inch at times. Whenever he was sick, Nick was prone to getting bad headaches and he had to wear his glasses even more so because his eyes had trouble seeing even medium size print. Nick hated being sick.

"Wakey wakey," a cheerful voice called out as the bedroom door opened.

But Nick hated cheery morning people even more.

Walking in through the open doorway was a chipper looking Greg. He was carrying a tray which Nick assumed had his so called breakfast.

"How are you feeling today Nicky? Any better?" Greg asked with as he came to Nick's bedside.

"How do you think I feel?" Nick asked as he wiped his nose with a fresh Kleenex.

"Well, if you feel anything how you look then…" the hard glare Nick directed at him was all it took to silence him. So he kept his opinion to himself and placed the tray before Nick.

On the tray was a plate with two pieces of toast, a glass of a strange brownish-looking liquid and a bowl of oatmeal that looked like it had the consistency of paste.

"Is this it?"

"Yes," Greg answered for him, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

Nick just questionly looked at the food and then back to Greg.

"Well what were you expecting? French toast with a Denver Omelet on the side and freshly squeezed orange juice? I'm not Martha Stewart you know."

"I know," Nick replied as he took hold of the spoon and moved it around in the thick oatmeal, "But I was hoping for something a little more…I don't know, lumpy."

"Just eat it."

Nick grudgingly took a spoonful of the gray oatmeal and took a mouth full. The lumpy substance had an almost sickly sweet taste to it. After he forced himself to down the oatmeal, he looked at Greg with a sour expression.

"What's in this?"

"Oatmeal, honey, cinnamon and fresh parsley," Greg stated.

"What?!"

"It's my Nana's recipe. She made for all her children and grandchildren whenever we were sick."

"And you're still alive?"

Greg rolled his eyes. "Fine you don't have to eat it," he said as he tried to take the bowl away from the tray.

"No, no. I'll eat it."

"Good and don't forget to drink Nana's Hot-totie," Greg said as he made his way to the door. "Its guaranteed to clear you up and put hair on your chest. They never could figure out that nasty little side-effect." The last part was muttered but was heard by Nick who took a drink of the tonic then promptly spat the foul tasting contents out of his mouth and onto the bedspread.

"What was _that_?" Nick practically yelled out to Greg.

"Whisky, sugar, prune juice and Cod-liver Oil," Greg called back from the hall.

Nick suddenly wished that his sense of taste was once again nonexistent due to his cold like it had been just a few days ago. The thought of eating just the toast crossed his mind but he knew that would hurt Greg not just because he had gone and made breakfast but because he had made the breakfast using his beloved Nana's recipe. So taking up his spoon again, Nick began to slowly eat his meal.

When he finished, Nick placed the tray on the floor and reached over to the nightstand for his medication. After taking the cold medicine, he reached over again to the nightstand for his glasses and the book on birds he had been reading the night before. It was after he put his glasses on, settled back into his pillows and opened the book that Nick saw that it not his bird book but one of Greg's book on Cryptozoology. Despite himself being a scientist for all intents and purposes, Nick had never allowed himself to be one for the study of things that may or not exist. Greg, on the other hand, loved study of the unknown and the un-explainable. His great devotion to the X-Files was proof positive to that. Deciding to just skim over the subject, Nick opened the book up to the saved page Greg had marked with the little ribbon bookmark. The page he had opened the book to was on the subject of the Jersey Devil and soon he was captivated by the subject.

It was twenty minutes later when Greg reappeared. When he saw what Nick was reading, he could not help but smile.

"Reading up on the Loch Ness Monster?"

"No. The Buru of Apa Tani."

"Well I'm glad you finally showed some interest in a field that's not all based on concrete science. You need to have an open mind more."

"You know I have an open mind G."

Greg gave Nick a smirk and rolled his eyes. "Any way, arms up."

"Why?" Then Nick saw the small blue jar of Vick's Vapo Rub in Greg's hand. "Again?"

"Yes again. Come on, raise them."

Nick closed the book and set it on the nightstand. Raising his arms, Greg pulled off the shirt Nick was wearing and tossed it on the comforter. After he moved up a bit and Greg got behind him, the next thing Nick felt was Greg's coated hands gently rubbing the liniment onto his back. When he felt that Greg had finished with his back, he felt Greg's hands work their way to his chest.

"I can't wait till I'm finally over this bug," Nick said as Greg finished covering his chest.

"Me too," Greg said in a weary tone as he wrapped his lean arms around Nick's waist and rested his head on the left shoulder.

Hearing the tiredness in his partner's voice brought a smile to the Texan's face. "Oh really? Tired of taking care of me already?"

"No," Greg answered in a low sultry voice into Nicky's ear. "It's just that when you get you strength back, we can play hunky patient and the intern male nurse." He gently bit down onto the ear for effect.

"You freak," Nick laughed.

"Don't you know it," Greg replied as he got up from behind Nick and went to get a fresh t-shirt for Nick to wear in bed.

Once he had his new shirt on the tired CSI leaned back into his soft pillow. The soothing scent of the Vick's was starting to make his eyelids heavy.

"I'm going over to Catherine's now to pick-up Oliver," Greg said from the doorway, "are you going to be ok by yourself for a while?"

"Yeah G. I'll be okay," Nick answered softly.

"Alight. I'll be back soon." He softly closed the door behind him.

Nick closed his eyes and allowed the medicine to work its course. Even before Greg closed the front door to their home and walked to his car, Nick was already fast asleep.

----------

Nick was so fast asleep that he did not hear the bedroom door opening softly than closing a couple of hours later. Even as the addition of new weight made the mattress dip slightly, the slumbering CSI still did not stir. But even in his drug induced sleep, Nick could feel the presence of someone hovering over him. Suddenly he felt his right eyelids being pulled open and the sunlight almost blinding him causing him to jump as he heard an all too familiar voice.

"Daddy? Are you asleep?"

"What…?" Nick stammered as he sat-up against the pillows.

Looking over to Greg's side of the bed, Nick saw that he was not alone. Sitting on his knees was their young son Oliver. He was wearing one of his beloved Batman shirts and his hair was not spiked for a change. It was not long like the way Greg had once worn it nor was it cut too short how Nick had his once. Oliver's hair was in perfect state between short and long. He also saw that Oliver had brought his beloved blankie and teddy bear. Nick was still feeling the effects of his medication as he began to rub his temples.

"Oliver, what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you Daddy?" Oliver asked with his big brown puppy dog eyes. The completely innocent tone in the child's voice made it purely impossible for anyone to get upset with him.

"No," Nick answered, "it's alright Buddy. Just make sure next time you don't do that to my eye again ok?"

"Ok Daddy."

Nick reached over and rubbed Oliver's head which caused the child to burst into a case of the giggles which went on to infect Nick. The situation soon evolved into a rowdy tickling match which ended in both participants on their back laughing.

"I'm surprised Pappa didn't come on here to see what we were doing," Nick when he caught his breath.

"Pappa is sleeping on the couch," Oliver stated.

"He is?"

"Uhha. After we got back from Aunt Catherine's, he told me to go play in my room because he was going to do some work. Then we had lunch and went back and played and when I went to ask him about your lunch I saw him on the couch asleep."

Nick shook his head. Apparently the Greg was beginning to feel the effects of taking care of Nick. While he was in his own thoughts, Oliver got up off the bed and went over to Nick's side.

"Since Pappa sleeping, I brought you your lunch," Oliver said as he picked up the tray that was sitting on the floor by Nick's side.

Looking over at the alarm clock, the CSI saw it was already one-thirty. When Nick went to look at whatever his son decided to feed him, a small smile appeared on his face when he saw what it was. It was a bowl of Campbell's chicken noodle soup, a glass of orange juice, some toast and a few individual slices of pre-cut cheese. There was even a pudding cup for desert.

"I got to make the soup by myself." Oliver explained proudly, "I put it in the pot and put the water in. I got to put it in the bowls too. All Pappa did was get the water, get it hot and put the pot on the table."

"I see," Nick said as he picked up the spoon that Oliver had placed by the soup. He knew that there was no way that Oliver had made the soup all by himself. But it was important that their son feel that he had made the soup without any help. Nick had not realized how hungry he was till he started to eat the lunch his son had prepared. Neither the soup or toast where warm so Nick figured that Oliver had brought him the leftovers of his own lunch. However, Nick did now that the orange juice, cheese and pudding where in easy range of access in the refrigerator for Oliver to get to. He was also able to pour himself a drink as long as long as he had help. An image of spilled orange juice came to Nick's mind as he took a drink. The fact Oliver was able to bring the tray into the bedroom without spilling it amazed Nick.

Oliver sat patiently while Nick ate and when he finished, Oliver was smiling ear to ear.

"That was great Buddy."

"You didn't eat your pudding." Oliver pointed out when he saw the unopened pudding cup.

"How about we save that for later," Nick said as he placed the tray on the floor, "So tell me, how was your stay at Aunt Catherine's?"

"It was fun," Oliver began and he started to tell Nick of all the stuff he did with Catherine and her family the past couple of days. "And then Uncle Warrick came and we watched the Batman movie that has the all bad guys in the submarine and Uncle Warrick got pizza for dinner and Aunt Catherine made sundaes for desert."

Nick smiled. Oliver's explanation seemed to take a lot out of him because when he finished talking he let out a big yawn. Oliver migrated from his spot on the bedspread with his bear closer to Nick who pulled his son in close to his chest.

"Sounds like you guys had fun," Nick said and he let out a yawn of his own.

"Uhha. Uncle Warrick made a big tent in Aunt Catherine's family room for us to sit in and watch the movies and I got to sleep there."

"Sounds like it was fun. Good thing it was just you in there. Cause I bet Aunt Catherine would keep you up all night with her snoring" Nick asked as he pulled Oliver's blanket over his him and his son.

"Aunt Catherine doesn't snore Daddy. Uncle Warrick does." Oliver's eyes began to flutter and close as he allowed Nick's heat beat to lure him to sleep.

"And how do you know Uncle Warrick snores?" Nick asked as he began to mirror Oliver's actions.

"Because I heard Aunt Catherine telling him that in the morning because he was sleeping in Aunt Catherine's room with her."

Nick's eyes snapped open at Oliver's comment. He was going to ask Oliver to repeat what he had just said but saw that the child was already fast asleep. It was obvious to the CSI that his son did not truly know the truth to what he had just said about his aunt and uncle. The fact that Catherine and Warrick had a thing for one another was something of an open-secret that everyone in the lab knew about even if Catherin and Warrick themselves thought it was well hidden. As he allowed his eyes to once again fall shut, he wondered at what Greg's expression would be when he was told that their son's Aunt Catherine and Uncle Warrick were having sleepovers of their own.

----------

The bedroom door was opened only slightly at first but then opened fully when it appeared that the sound it made was not a nuisance.

Greg poked his head in to see how Nick was doing and a big smile came across his face when his eyes settled upon the slight of his sleeping husband and son. The former was on his side with Oliver snuggled up as close to Nick's chest as he could get. Oliver's blanket was covering the both of them with Oliver's teddy bear between them. Greg crept silently over to the bed and softly sat down on the edge of the mattress as to not disturb the two sleeping occupants. The younger man just sat and watched the two people he loved the most in the world sleep together in a loving embrace.

Oliver's chest rose and fell in time with his elder father's and Greg smiled when Oliver tried to snuggle up even more in Nick's embrace. Reaching over, Greg ran his fingers lightly through his son's soft brown hair at which Oliver reacted to but it never awoke him. Withdrawing his hand, Greg leaned down and delicately placed a kiss on Oliver's forehead.

From what he could see, their son's presence seemed to be just the medicine Nick needed. Nick was breathing more clearly and he had not coughed once since Greg had entered the room. Even his complexion was better looking than it had just hours ago. Placing a hand to Nick's forehead, Greg felt that Nick was not as warm like what he had been. This was a far cry from the Nick of the past few days. As he had done with their son, Greg leaned down and tenderly kissed Nick's forehead.

After Greg had removed his lips, Nick began to stir slightly and opened his eyes a few seconds later. Looking up, he saw his partner and smiled up at him.

"Hey handsome," he said quietly.

"Hey yourself," Greg replied in the same tone.

"How're you feeling now hon?" Greg asked as he placed a gentle kiss to Nick's temple.

"I feel achy."

"How long has he been here?" Greg nodded to Oliver.

Nick smiled and began to rub Oliver's back. "A few hours. He brought me lunch since you were asleep."

Greg saw the tray and smiled. "I see. Well, he's defiantly inherited my cooking skills."

The response made Nick laugh. "He certainly has."

Greg joined him in the laugh and Oliver started to wake-up.

"Hi Pappa," Olive said as he rubbed his eyes.

"Hi to you too. Did you have a nice nap with Daddy?"

Oliver nodded and crawled over Nick to Greg and wrapped his arms around his Pappa's neck and was pulled into a hug.

"I see someone didn't eat their pudding," Greg said when his eyes fell upon the unopened pudding cup. He reached down and picked it up. "Daddy?" he asked in an accusing tone.

Nick knew Greg was just being dramatic. "What?" he replied in the same manner.

Greg gave his husband an exaggerated look and turned to his son.

"You know what Buddy? I don't think your Daddy deserves this pudding. I think we should eat it right in-front of him as a punishment. Too bad, its vanilla and you know how much Daddy loves vanilla pudding."

"Pappa don't be mean," Oliver said in a very serious tone. "That's Daddy's pudding and he can eat it whenever he wants."

The deathlike leer Greg was receiving from their son made both dads break out into grins.

"How about we share it?" Nick proposed.

"Sounds like a good idea," Greg replied, "Oliver?"

Oliver silently thought about it for a second. "Ok," he said.

Greg crawled over Nick and settled himself next to Oliver and Nick. He opened the pudding cup and he and Oliver shared the spare spoon Oliver had provided while Nick used the spoon he had eaten his soup with. When they had finished Greg took the tray back to the kitchen and returned to his spot on the bed. Oliver began to tell him everything he had told Nick about his sleepover in greater detail for his parents.

"Oliver told me something interesting that happened during his sleep over," Nick said as Oliver settled himself in-between his parents again when he finished talking.

"And what was that?" Greg asked as he placed an arm around Nick.

"Apparently Aunt Catherine and Uncle Warrick have been having sleepovers of their own at Aunt Catherine's because Oliver heard her tell him that he snores."

Greg's eyes grew wide and his mouth just dropped at the news. The look on his husband's face after Nick had repeated what Oliver had said told him that Greg completely understood him.

"Can grownups eat in bed?" Oliver asked right out of the blue..

Nick looked down at Oliver and said with a smile, "They can. Why do you ask?"

"Cause Aunt Catherine and Uncle Warrick like to eat their desert in her bedroom," Oliver stated simply.

Their son's response to Nick's inquiry made both men look at each other with looks of utter confusions on their faces.

"What do you mean by that Oliver?" a confused Greg asked.

"I heard Aunt Catherin telling Uncle Warrick that she likes it when he gives her his banana split and he likes it when he gets to eat her pie with whipped cream on it.

-Author's Note-

I hope the ending wasn't too dirty for you. I was going for that simple innocent child perspective. Otherwise I hope it was cute and sweet enough for you. I hope you all enjoy these Oliver stories as much as I enjoy writing them. Oliver is just so sweet and innocent to write for. And if case you are wondering, Oliver is around four or five. He is able to do things like pouring himself a drink as long as Nick or Greg is there to help him otherwise things like a glass of juice tend to over flow. I think most of us have had experience with this sort of thing. The reason Nick had toast with his soup is because whenever I eat it, I always have toast with it too. The Batman movie he got to watch was the 1960s original Batman movie with Adam West. Please don't forget to review. I do like reading your thoughts on my work. And I hope you all have been enjoying _California Here We Come_ as well.


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